The hearing of a long-running corruption case involving former Nzoia Sugar Company Managing Director Godfrey Sifuna Wanyonyi and seven other senior officials has been adjourned at the Bungoma Anti-Corruption Court, with the prosecution expected to call its final witnesses when proceedings resume early next year.
The case — which has been before the courts since 2017 — centers on the alleged embezzlement of KSh11 million from the struggling state-owned miller.
Wanyonyi, who once headed the company, is charged alongside Benson Khwatenge Wafula (Company Secretary), John Wanyonyi Wekesa (Chief Cashier), Kenneth Onyango (Cashier), Benson Sitati Wakhungu (Internal Auditor), Robert Vincent Juma (Auditor), Kennedy Wafula Wanjala alias Mkombozi (Administrator), and Juliet Ng’ang’a (Clerk).
The eight face multiple counts, including abuse of office, conspiracy to defraud, and fraudulent acquisition of public funds. Prosecutors allege that between 2015 and 2016, the accused conspired to defraud the company by authorizing irregular payments, falsifying records, and diverting funds meant for operations.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which is leading the prosecution, has lined up two final witnesses — Abraham Kemboi, an EACC investigator, and Saul Wasilwa, who served as Nzoia Sugar’s managing director before Wanyonyi’s tenure.
The two are expected to provide crucial testimony on the financial transactions and internal audit reports that allegedly exposed the misappropriation of funds.
The case has faced repeated delays over the years, largely due to applications filed by some of the accused seeking to halt their prosecution.
In the most recent attempt, former Company Secretary Benson Khwatenge Wafula filed a petition claiming that his prosecution was malicious and an abuse of process. However, the Supreme Court dismissed his application, upholding earlier rulings by the High Court and the Court of Appeal that found no merit in his claims.
The Supreme Court’s decision effectively cleared the way for the trial to continue after years of legal stalemate.
The Nzoia Sugar case is among several corruption scandals that have dogged Kenya’s state-owned sugar companies in the western region. Chronic financial mismanagement, mounting debts, unpaid farmer dues, and inefficiencies have crippled operations across the sector, sparking calls for major reforms and privatization.
Magistrate Josephat Gichimu has set February 11, 2026, as the next hearing date, when the prosecution will present its final evidence before the defense takes the stand.
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